The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 20, 1995- 11 Michigan men's golf ties for ninth on greens in weekend invitational By Alan Goldenbach Daily Sports Writer Expecting improvement doesn't nec- essarily mean it will come. Coming into its season opener, the Michigan men's golf team had expecta- tions ofmakingsignificant improvements on what was looking like a solid founda- tion at the end of last season. However, a ninth place tie in the ReliaStar Collegiate Golf Invitational in Dellwood, Minn. last weekend can't be what coach Jim Carras had in mind enter- ing the new campaign. The Wolverines fired a total score of 914 in the 54-hole event, tying Iowa in the prestigious 12-team field. LSU placed first in the two-day event after carding a 10-over-par 874 total. "While I'm not pleased with the way we played in this tournament," he said,"I am glad we played in this tournament because we have to learn what real com- I am glad we played in this tournament because we have to learn what real competition is all about.3" - Jim Carras Michigan men's golf coach players tied for 25th with a 226 total. Brockway turned in a scorching 70 in the firstround, placinghim in athirdplace tie after 18 holes. But he followed it up with scores of 80 and 76 to drop him back toward the middle of the pack. Minnesota's Aaron Barber turned in the top individual score of the tourney with a 215 total. With a 1-under, Barber was the only participant to come in under par. Michigan's Kyle Dobbs (total score of 231), Mike Emanuel (232) and Brent Idalski (237), placed 47th, 48th and 57th, respectively. With the Wolverine Invitational com- ing up this weekend,Carras hopes that his troops enter the home tournament with the same attitudes they had in Minnesota. "We learned we have our work cut out for us if we are going to be an improved team," Carras said. "Now we'll see if playing on our home course will make a difference." petition is all about." Northwestern finished 11 shots behind the Tigers and Minnesota finished one shot behind the Wildcats. Senior Chris Brockway and redshirt freshman Isaac Hinkle were the top Wol- verine finishers. They were among the six Michigan's Mortimer has following in Boston Freshman John Mortimer can say that his first collegiate meet was at home, despite the fact that the Michigan men's cross country team participated and won the meet in Boston last Saturday. Mortimer comes from Londonberry, N.H, which is near Boston. So close that his parents, high school cross country team, a dozen friends and even faculty from his high school came to cheer him on. And what a good luck charm it turned out to be. Mortimer finished second (24:16) on the Wolverine squad and fourth overall in the meet. "It was real comforting to know those people were there," Mortimer said. "But it made me a little more nervous because if you choke, that would look pretty bad." - James Goldstein Field hockey on three-game winning streak The Michigan field hockey team boosted its record this past weekend to 5-2 with two more shutouts in its trip to Philadelphia. The victories over Temple and Westchester extended the Wolverines' winning streak to three, with all three being shutouts. Michigan has now matched its longest winning streak since Nov. 1993, which was also marked by three consecutive blankings. Sophomore Julie Flachs led Michigan's march with two goals and an assist for a total of five points for the weekend contests. She is now second on the team in goals-scored to senior Sherene Smith who has five. - Jed Rosenthal Volleyball servesup Bi Ten opener The Michigan volleyball team will get its first taste of Big Ten competition when it faces off against Purdue this weekend at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines are coming offa tournament victory last weekend in the UMass Invitational and a victory over Eastern Michigan. As conference play kicks into gear, Michigan will look to the leadership of captains Shannon Brownlee and Suzy O'Donnell. Junior outside-hitterKristen Ruschiensky, last weekend's tournament most valuable player, will look to pace the Wolverines' scoring attack. - Chris Murphy Women's soccer minrors Texas The Wolverines might feel like they're playing against themselves when they battle Texas Friday. Like Michigan (1- 4-1), the Longhorns (3-3-0) are in their second season as a varsity program. Also like Michigan, Texas lost to both Hartford and Dartmouth in the Adidas Women's Soccer Cup earlier this season. After hosting Texas, the Wolverines travel to Minnesota for a Sunday afternoon match-up. - Dan Stillman Men's soccer to play Blue 'B' team The Michigan men's soccer team heads into the Big Ten Invitational this weekend at Mitchell Field. "I don't want to lessen what we do the rest of the season," Wolverine coach Steve Burns said, "but this is really what our season is about." Burns stressed the importance of conference games in getting a bid to the National Collegiate Soccer Association finals. The Big Ten determines standings based on a ten point system, with points awarded for wins, ties, goals and shutouts. Among conference rivals Indiana State, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Iowa and Northwestern, Michigan will also face Michigan this season. Yes, Michigan now has a 'B' team. The squads may go head-to-head later this season and will compete for bids to the National Championships. -Susan Dann The men's club soccer fell 3-0 yesterday to Western Michigan. The Wolverines host the Big Ten club tournament this weekend. SOCCER continued from page 10 Michigan was unable to utilize the weak side runs in the second half. "Western adjusted and kept someone in the weak side," Burns said. "We tried to send in an early run to take the defender inside. We had really only worked on this in theory, though, dur- ing our halftime talk." With time running out, Michigan be- gan an offensive surge. "We threw up another forward and we were really pressing them," senior Rick Weinberg said. In an offensive flurry, Michigan's intensity picked up. The Wolverines had several opportunities in front of Western's goal. Weinberg controlled a free kick and aimed for the near post where senior Andrew Cosenza flicked the ball into the side netting. With numbers up in the offensive third, Michigan's defense was vulner- able. Western broke through midfield and got off a hard shot from 35 yards out. The ball hit the inside of the left post and went in. "The third goal happened because we were pressing really hard offen- sively and focusing on scoring," Weinberg said. "We just had a mental lapse. The game is 90 minutes and we have to show intensity and be able to play for the whole 90 minutes. "We lose our mental capability when we are physically tired. The two go hand in hand," Weinberg added. I 'M' field hockey looks By Jed Rosenthal Daily Sports Writer Revenge will be the No. 20 Michigan field hockey team's mission today as it travels to Muncie, Ind., to play Ball State. The Wolverines (5-2 overall) lost a 2-1 overtime battle with the Cardinals last season. "Last year was close and they beat us," Julie Flachs said."It's time for us to show them up. The upper class definitely has a grudge against them.". With a lifetime 2-4 record against Ball State (4-3 overall), the time is ripe for a Michigan victory. The Wolverines are in the midst ofa three-game winning streak, all three being shutouts. The Cardinals, like Michigan, are in the middle of a winning streak of their own, with two victories this past weekend, including one shutout. However, the Cardinals' type of play will directly conflict with the Wolver- ines' because they play on grass. Michi- gan, accustomed to astroturf, must adapt from its fast, motion-style play, to the slower, more controlled play of grass. "It's a totally different game on grass for us," Flachs said. "Your skills don't come as easy as they do on turf. We're going to have to go back to the basics. We can't be fancy because it's not going to happen. We'll have more hitting than push passing." or revenge The Wolverines will find it necessary to revert back to their high school playing days whenplayingongrasswasthenorm "We're going back to our field hockey roots," Gia Biagi said. "It'll beanexciting game." Michigan must be woeful of its past experiences with Ball State and make its own scoring opportunities while control- ling the contest at the same time. "They are not a team to take for granted," Biagi said. "They are always an upset team. We must take them seriously, but we have to focus on our own game. Hopefully this will just be another notch for ourselves. 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